CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT

88   “These Kids Are Out of Control”

each class meeting in a way that promotes positive peer groups (Tomlinson,
2014). Overall, it is important for a teacher to consider ahead of time how to
best set up the physical design of a classroom in a way that can foster the devel-
opment of a supportive community where students can easily interact and
help one another. Moreover, teachers must be equipped with the knowledge
to alter seating arrangements when student behavior is challenging. Students,
too, should have a voice and input into where they sit, for how long, and why.

No matter which classroom design is selected, thinking about the phys-
ical setup of the room ahead of time as well as during class interactions is
important. Attending to how students will move between various learning
tasks during class ahead of time can prevent the hectic classroom transitions
between activities and lost instructional time that inevitably occur when stu-
dents are asked to move their chairs and tables for partner activities. Thinking
about how to prevent avoidable disruptions goes a long way toward promot-
ing the effective learning environment that sometimes evades classroom set-
tings (Haberman, 2010). By designing the classroom layout ahead of time
with attention paid to regular pairing and working groups, teachers can be
thoughtful about the composition of each group instead of problem-solving
the haphazard and last-minute pairings that never quite occur as the teacher
had intended. Overall, to facilitate classroom management, physical class-
room design should allow routinized and regular collaboration between stu-
dents, easy transitions, and a sense that peers play an important role in student
learning.

VIGNETTE D: BUILDING A CLASSROOM COMMUNITY THAT

PROMOTES PRIMARY LEARNING IN SCIENCE

Mr. Davis is a fourth grade teacher. This week in his life science unit,
students are learning about the life cycle of plants. They are also talking
about which vegetable plants could grow in their neighborhood, which
lacks a grocery store. Students are already seated in six-table groups by
mixed ability, so Mr. Davis simply asks students to work with the students
in their table groups. Their task is to develop a science question they
think they could answer by planting a seed and observing its growth over
the course of a month. Erik asks, “Our group wants to find out which
plants grow taller, tomatoes or green beans. Is that okay?” Mr. Davis
tells him that they have a good question. Other groups develop similar
questions. Once all students are satisfied with their groups’ questions,
they write them down in a group member’s science notebook and then
trade notebooks with the table group next to them. Each group gives
feedback on their neighbor group’s question to make sure that it is clear,
answerable, and worded in the best possible way. Mr. Davis emphasizes

Chapter 3  •  Classroom Management Is About Effective Instruction    89

to students that the peer feedback must include at least one compliment.
Erik’s group trades notebooks with Monique’s group. Her group’s question
is, “How much water does a tomato plant need to grow its healthiest?”
Erik’s group thought this was mostly a good question but wondered how
Monique’s group would measure “healthy.” Erik’s group encouraged
Monique’s group to define what they meant by healthy as they revised
their work. They also encouraged Monique’s group to think about how
they would know when a tomato plant has had too much water. Finally,
they complimented Monique’s group on wanting to learn how to grow
the healthiest tomatoes, as this would most benefit their neighborhood’s
overall nutrition and health. These ideas and suggestions are used to
improve each group’s science questions, which are shared through a
short discussion. Once all groups have their original questions back
with suggestions for improvement, they make needed adjustments to
the wording of their question and begin to do the background research
needed to develop their hypotheses. After class, Mr. Davis thinks about
his lesson:

• Although Erik’s group and Monique’s group were successful
in giving and receiving feedback, a few other groups struggled
to give good feedback and compliments. Where else in his
instruction could he add opportunities for peer feedback so
that his students could get more practice at this?

• Most groups were working well together, but two groups
continued to be distracted by nonsense during the question
brainstorming. Should he consider switching any students
between groups to promote more positive and productive
peer relationships?

• How else could Mr. Davis raise his students’ awareness
of the need for more healthy food options in their
neighborhood?

As we see in this vignette, Mr. Davis builds community in his class-
room through a number of moves. He acknowledges social context
by leading his students in a discussion about the lack of healthy food
options available to some of them in their neighborhood and asks them
to investigate a solution to the problem. He has made peer feedback an
integral part of student learning tasks, so that students can see that
mistakes and improvement are natural parts of the learning process.
He even makes sure students give one another positive feedback in

90   “These Kids Are Out of Control”

addition to revisions. And Mr. Davis has his room physically set up to
encourage the development of a supportive classroom community. By
seating students in mixed-ability groups throughout the room, it is easy
for Mr. Davis to frequently design classroom tasks where they work
together and support one another.

Building Class Community
Improves Classroom Management

Building a sense of community in a classroom reduces the frequency of class-
room management problems because students become part of a community
that builds upon their values and provides them with support. As a result, stu-
dents are drawn into participating in class activities. Important ways to build
community include the following:

• Acknowledging the wider community and social context. When
teachers build classroom communities in this way, students
can wholeheartedly engage in class activities because they
are not faced with incongruities between what is expected
of them in class and what their lives look like outside of the
classroom.

• Ensuring that the class is a safe space for learning. Teachers
can create a classroom environment where students can
become more accustomed to the cycle of making errors,
getting feedback from the teacher and peers, and continuously
improving their work.

• Organizing the physical space of the classroom to promote
student interaction and collaboration. This helps students
become accustomed to ways of interacting that are promoted,
not discouraged.

The more strongly a teacher can promote this sense of community among
learners, the less motivation students have to break away from the community
through off-task behaviors or by disrupting the class’s learning.

FINAL THOUGHTS: EFFECTIVE
INSTRUCTION IMPROVES
CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT

Classroom management in urban schools is indeed about effective instruc-
tion. By engaging in critical reflective practices, teachers can understand

Chapter 3  •  Classroom Management Is About Effective Instruction    91

the role they personally play in shaping classroom dynamics, particularly
as they cross the racial, socioeconomic, and language divides they are more
likely to encounter in urban classrooms. This helps them shape the culture
of their classroom and understand student responses to their interactions.
Teaching these same reflective practices to students helps them understand
how they contribute to and detract from both the class and broader com-
munities. By offering students high-engagement lessons, teachers “cus-
tom-fit” lessons to the particular needs, worldviews, and backgrounds of
students in a way that draws them into participation instead of encourag-
ing resistance. By positively framing all aspects of learning, a teacher com-
municates the value of learning tasks and his or her optimism that students
will succeed in mastering the tasks because they have succeeded in other
parts of their life in the past. Even if students are exposed to teachers view-
ing them and classroom activities as unimportant or lacking in the past,
they can sense that teachers who embrace positive framing regard both the
learning task and themselves as people as worthwhile and valuable. This
makes it far more likely that students will indeed succeed. And by build-
ing a strong and vibrant learning community, students experience a sense
of security and ownership in classroom learning that allows them to learn
from their mistakes and feel invested in learning activities. Through all of
these moves, teachers increase the likelihood that students will engage in
learning because they find participation in class interesting, worthwhile,
safe, affirming, and valuable.

The chart below summarizes the main ideas of this chapter: that effec-
tive instruction includes critical reflective practice, high student engage-
ment, positive framing, and building class community. For each of these
four main ideas, important points to remember are delineated and key refer-
ences are listed.

Key Ideas and Recommendations

Critical Reflective Practices High Student Positive Class

Teacher actions guided Engagement Framing Community
by personal “repertoire”
of experiences, Teachers should draw Teachers should Teachers
understandings, and upon pedagogical use optimism should develop
feelings related to their content knowledge and enthusiasm classrooms that
profession; reflection can in order to promote in presenting acknowledge the
expand repertoire and guide student comprehension learning tasks local community
teacher to act in new ways of rigorous content (Lemov, 2014) and wider social
(Schön, 1983) (Shulman, 1987) context (Gay,
2010; Milner,
2010)

(Continued)

92   “These Kids Are Out of Control”

(Continued)

High Student Positive Class
Critical Reflective Practices Engagement Framing Community

Teachers can use critical Teachers should Teachers should Teachers should
reflective practices to develop lessons that communicate seek to create
prompt them in considering build upon student student success a safe space
their own actions, what experiences and based on their for learners
really happens in the backgrounds (Gay, 2010; assets (Milner, (Dweck, 2006;
classroom with regard to Milner, 2010) 2015) Rothstein-Fisch
issues of equity, access, and & Trumbull,
social justice (Howard, 2003) 2008)

Teachers should use critical Teachers should offer Teachers should Teachers
reflective practices as a multiple meaningful demonstrate should develop
routine feature of planning pathways that regard for a physical
for new semester, new unit, acknowledge that all teaching and classroom
and daily lessons students have strengths learning (Gay, design that
and weaknesses 2010) encourages
(Gardner, 2011; Lemov, community
2014) (Marzano et al.,
2003)

Teachers should teach Teachers should seek
critical reflective practices to treat students
to students, as this will as partners in the
help students make sense co-construction of
of their reactions to both classroom knowledge
in-school and out-of-school (Haberman, 2010;
experiences (Haberman, Ladson-Billings, 2009)
2010; Ladson-Billings, 2009)

REFLECTING ON THE CHAPTER . . .

1. Teachers might take some time to critically reflect on an interaction with a
student that did not go as well as planned. Consider: What really happened? Did
the teacher’s words or actions contribute to student’s response? Did issues of
equity, access, or social justice play a role in the interaction?

2. Teachers might write a brief description of how they believe a well-managed
classroom should look. Then consider: How do these beliefs relate to the teacher’s
own cultural identity and values? How will students receive this management style
if their cultural background or values differ from that of the teacher?

3. Teachers may try to engage students in high-engagement instruction and collect
data on the outcomes. When are students most engaged? How can this level of
engagement be sustained throughout lessons?

4. Teachers might reflect upon a lesson they recently taught to their students that
was not well received. Consider: Was the topic presented to this particular group

Chapter 3  •  Classroom Management Is About Effective Instruction    93

of students in the most relatable way possible? Were cultural backgrounds, life
experiences, and social contexts of these students considered? Was the lesson
positively framed to communicate the importance of learning and likelihood of
student success?

5. Teachers might reflect upon their classroom environment by answering the
following questions about a recent lesson: What feedback did students receive if
they made a mistake during the lesson? Was the event treated as a normal part
of learning or an error to be avoided? Was the physical room layout conducive to
collaboration among students during the lesson? What would have made it better?

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4 CLASSROOM
MANAGEMENT IS ABOUT
CREATING A CARING
ENVIRONMENT

No significant learning can occur without a significant relationship.

—James Comer, Professor of Child Psychiatry

In my world there are no bad kids, just impressionable, conflicted
young people wrestling with emotions and impulses, trying to
communicate their feelings and needs the only way they know how.

—Janet Lansbury, Parent Advisor, Writer, Teacher

Every child deserves a champion: an adult who will never give
up on them, who understands the power of connection and
insists they become the best they can possibly be.

—Rita Pierson, Educator

Students don’t care how much you know, until they know how
much you care.

—John C. Maxwell, Author

In addition to effective instruction, classroom management is also about
creating a caring learning environment. Caring learning environments are
spaces where all students feel fully seen, heard, respected, and cared for. To
build caring learning environments, educators must develop a classroom cul-
ture that is both nurturing and rigorous. This classroom culture must meet
students where they are and be responsive to their unique learning needs.
Overall, we recommend that teachers enact practices in four interrelated
areas as a means to develop a caring classroom environment. These areas of
practice include being student-centered, having high expectations, persistent
practices, and partnership with families and communities (see Figure 4.1).
Below we detail these interrelated ideas.

The first key practice for a caring classroom environment is being
student-centered. Classroom environments with a student-centered approach

97

98   “These Kids Are Out of Control”

are designed around and with students. To accomplish this, teachers meet
students where they are culturally, academically, and social-emotionally and
position them as influencers and co-creators of their learning experience
(Ladson-Billings, 2009). A student-centered approach is personally connected
(Milner, 2010), culturally responsive (Gay, 2010), trauma informed (Alvarez,
2017; Dorado, Martinez, McArthur, & Leibovitz, 2016), and developmen-
tally appropriate (Alford, Rollins, Padrón, & Waxman, 2016). Student-
centered approaches are designed with students and teachers as co-creators of
their expectations, accountability norms, pedagogy, and curriculum.

The second key practice for a caring classroom environment is having belief
in, high expectations, and rigor for all students. It is important to establish rig-
orous, high academic and behavioral expectations in developing a classroom
ethos of care. This means ensuring that everyone in the classroom knows that
a lot is expected of them, that lessons are challenging, and that the teacher
and students believe that they all can learn and achieve at high levels. Having
high expectations for all students has been shown to positively affect student’s
academic success (Rist, 1970), motivation, and engagement (Pringle, Lyons,
& Booker, 2010) as well as foster deeper, more meaningful and respectful
teacher and student relationships (Gay, 2010; Milner, 2010). We are stressing
that strong, meaningful relationships between teachers and students are the
backbone of a student-centered approach with high expectations.

The third key practice for a caring classroom environment is persistent
practices. Creating caring classroom communities also means having persis-
tent practices that anchor relationships between teachers and students such
that teachers never give up on their students. Persistent practices are practices
that allow students feel seen, valued, and cared for (Noddings, 2012) consis-
tently each day. These practices support students whether they are achieving
the expectations or having a rough day. Students they are more likely to con-
tinue to strive and thrive in that classroom environment.

The fourth key practice for a caring classroom environment is teachers’
developing partnerships with families and communities. Students are not
only individuals; each is also part of a rich fabric of families and communities.
When schools, families, and communities connect, all of the experiences in the
classroom, from curricular to lesson development that can include family and
community members, will become more culturally responsive (Gay, 2010).

In this chapter, we discuss how engaging in a student-centered approach,
having high expectations for all, engaging in persistent practices, and develop-
ing partnerships with families and communities are essential to establishing and
maintaining caring classroom communities. Having a caring classroom envi-
ronment, we are arguing, is a central feature of effective classroom management.

STUDENT-CENTERED

A student-centered approach in the classroom shifts the focus away from
a “banking” concept of education where the teacher is the sole bearer of

Chapter 4  •  Classroom Management Is About Creating a Caring Environment   99

FIGURE 4.1  ■  Four Areas of Practice for Building a Caring
Classroom Environment

Student- Belief, High
Centered Expectations

and Rigor

Persistent Partnership with
Practices Families and
Communities

knowledge (Freire, 2000). Freire (2000) explained that the banking approach
limits student engagement to “receiving, filing, and storing deposits” (p. 72).
A student-centered approach transforms the learning environment into a space
where students’ voice, knowledge, experiences, and other assets are centralized
and amplified. This shift in our educational experience is liberating as all class-
room participants become teachers and students.

A student-centered approach builds on students’ assets and transfers power
from the teacher to students, positioning teachers as facilitators and learners
as well. Classrooms that are student-centered include students in the plan-
ning, implementation, and assessment of learning (McCarthy, 2015). When
constructing caring classroom environments that promote effective classroom
management, teachers let go of their need for continual and exclusive control.
This can be challenging to do, but it provides a highly engaging, collaborative
space for all to grow, learn, and thrive.

McCarthy (2015) provides practical perspective on this student-centered
approach regarding “why, what, and how learning experiences take shape.”
McCarthy’s first component is the why, or the relevance of the lesson. Students
need to understand the “why” behind the lesson in order to be motivated to
engage in it. In other words, it is essential for teachers to be transparent about
their intentions. This transparency includes teachers’ explaining why they do
what they do. Some students will resist when faced with “do it because I said
so” approaches. It is essential for teachers to share the “why” behind the work
they are asking students to complete. Doing so provides insight into the value
of the lesson for the students in ways that should increase buy-in and engage-
ment and reduce resistance. Teachers can continually connect how the les-
son and content are relevant to their students’ lives now and for their future
selves. This can be accomplished by referencing basic needs in life, such as how

100   “These Kids Are Out of Control”

learning about certain calculations in mathematics will help students manage
their own finances and household budgets in ways that can make the difference
between saving money for the future or being in debt. Also, teachers can share
the actual short-term and long-term implications of those scenarios in life. It is
also useful to state the why in connection to students’ specific career interests.
For instance, it is imperative for anyone interested in the medical field to learn
about particular concepts in science that can be discussed in detail depending
on what career path a student is seeking.

The second component of the student-centered approach according to
McCarthy (2015) is the “what.” The student-centered approach includes stu-
dents’ voice and interests when choosing the content for lessons. Many aspects
of the state standards driving our curricula can be taught from multiple per-
spectives. The more deeply a teacher knows their students, the greater the
opportunity to tie that knowledge of students’ lives and interests into the les-
sons. The more the curriculum is tied to students’ lives, cultures, and interests,
the more likely they are to engage in deep learning, grasp the concepts, develop
the skills, and attain the goals of the lesson. If the students do not know the
references being used, they will not learn the lessons being taught.

An example of this occurred in Mr. Jeffries’s second grade physical educa-
tion class. Mr. Jeffries was teaching his students how to dive over a foam wall
and roll into a ball properly so as not to hurt themselves. One of the students,
Ori, was having a hard time grasping the concept of forming and maintain-
ing a tight ball with his body, required for this lesson. As he continued to
try, his best friend Sally watched from the sideline. The interaction among
Mr. Jeffries, Ori, and Sally went as follows:

Mr. Jeffries: I see you’re trying, Ori, but you’re not quite there yet.
You need to pull your body into a tight ball and stay
that way as you roll. Imagine you’re like a pot roast
with a string tied around it to keep it tight in a ball.

Ori: [Blank stare].

Sally: Ori’s family is vegetarian.

Mr. Jeffries: Okay, how about during Christmas when . . .

Ori: [Blank stare].

Sally: He’s Jewish, he probably won’t know that either. Try an
armadillo! He loves animals and knows that when an
armadillo wants to protect itself it flips into a tight ball
and stays that way until it thinks it’s safe to come out.
He just showed me that on YouTube the other day on
our playdate! It was really cool.

Ori: Oh yeah! I get it now!

Chapter 4  •  Classroom Management Is About Creating a Caring Environment   101

Ori then proceeded to jump, make his body into a tight ball like an arma-
dillo, and hurl himself over the foam wall. Once he knew the reference, he
understood and learned the lesson. Our point here is that teachers must know
their students’ interests well and understand their cultural references (Ladson-
Billings, 2009) when attempting to teach new or more complex information.
This example also showed how much more effective the learning was for Ori
when his friend, Sally, who knows him well, was able to participate in the
learning process as a source of knowledge. The more students see themselves
in the lessons and are actively engaged as agents in the classroom, the more
effective the learning experience will be for everyone. This also connects to
McCarthy’s (2015) third step, the “how.” Students should be agents in all
aspects of their learning, including how learning is demonstrated.

The student-centered classroom is more culturally relevant and effective
than the often-found cultural mismatch of a teacher-focused classroom based
only on the teacher’s own cultural lens and preferences (Delpit, 1995; Stephens
& Townsend, 2015). The prior story about the physical education class is a
good example of cultural mismatch. The teacher just assumed that the stu-
dent would understand an aspect of the lesson by referencing an example from
the Christmas holiday, but this cannot be assumed when the student is not
Christian. It is also important to keep in mind that no identity group is mono-
lithic. For instance, not all Christian-identifying people celebrate Christmas,
and if they do, it is not in the same way. This is why teachers’ knowing their
individual students well is so valuable. In addition to lesson content, there are
many other ways that cultural mismatch can be expressed. For example, ways
of behaving and communicating are expressed differently in different cul-
tures and can be wrongly interpreted across culture. One example of this is
how eye contact is used and what it is intended to communicate. For instance,
in Japanese culture, avoiding eye contact is a sign of respect, while in some
Western cultures, avoiding eye contact can be interpreted as a sign of disrespect
(Akechi et al., 2013). This is one of the many reasons why building relationships
among everyone in the classroom is so valuable. Doing so can help everyone in
the learning community understand one another better in ways that lead to
more effective instruction and more accurate interpretation of behaviors.

Student-centered approaches shift the power from being solely that of the
teacher to that of the students, creating a more relevant, engaging environment
that clearly reflects the needs, cultures, interests, perspectives, and brilliance
of its students. Doing so also positions the students to be more accountable for
their learning in ways that support high academic achievement, productive
behavior, collaborative learning, and leadership development.

Co-Create Accountable Classroom Culture

Another part of being student-centered is co-constructing classroom norms
and expectations. It is advantageous for teachers and students to begin each
school year and/or semester by developing their norms together so that all

102   “These Kids Are Out of Control”

voices are heard in creating a caring classroom environment. Students tend to
be more engaged and take greater ownership over their learning and behav-
ior when provided with the opportunity to contribute to the creation of their
classroom norms (Cushman, 2003). This process also ensures that students
feel heard, respected, and valued. It gives them a needed degree of power for
engagement and positions them as responsible partners in the effort to have
a nurturing, responsive learning environment for all to achieve at high levels.
Co-construction of norms and expectations in the classroom also gives teach-
ers an opportunity to learn more about their students, hear their needs, and be
responsive. There are various approaches to co-creating norms in the classroom.
The approach to this collaborative process can be cogenerated as well. Teachers
and students can and should be as creative as they want in this process. One way
of co-creating classroom norms is as follows:

 1. The teacher provides the opportunity to co-create norms during the
very first week of class, even the first day if possible.

 2. The teacher sets the tone that this is everyone’s classroom, and we are
going to co-create this community learning environment in ways that
work for everyone to achieve at high levels. Every voice is valued.

 3. Students then conduct a classroom-wide brainstorming session
listing the norms they think are important for everyone to be held
accountable to for everyone’s success.

 4. Frame norm language in proactive, positive language, such as “actively
listen” and “respect each other” as opposed to what not to do, such as
“don’t talk when others are talking” and “no bullying”.

 5. Student(s) write the list of ideas on the board.

 6. Everyone then explores the various ideas and groups them into themes.

 7. Everyone helps craft the language for the final draft.

 8. Everyone votes on adopting them as the classroom norms and
expectations for everyone.

 9. Students then write the agreed-upon norms on poster board or
something that can be permanently seen in the classroom (make sure
to number them).

10. Students place the board in a location visible to all students.

In addition, to ensure that everyone is on the same page, it is helpful to:

1. Have students sign a document listing the classroom norms and
agreeing to honor them.

2. Share the classroom norms with students’ “parents” (whoever parents
them: mom, dad, grandmother, grandfather, aunt, uncle, foster family,

Chapter 4  •  Classroom Management Is About Creating a Caring Environment   103

group home staff, etc.) as well as the co-creation process they enacted to
develop them.

Once this process is completed, teachers and students alike can refer to
classroom norms by number and detail as needed when someone is not hon-
oring them. The interaction around non-norm behavior then becomes about
the norms they co-created and agreed to, therefore keeping the conversation
about the behavior and the norms, as opposed to becoming a personal power
struggle between the teacher and student. (This is important for maintaining
relationships as well as the efficacy of the goals in creating them.) Teachers can
then ask their students, “Which one of our classroom norms are you not hon-
oring by talking at this time?” or just say, “Number 4, please, Sarah,” pointing
at the norms on the wall. When the students really take ownership over their
classroom learning environment, they will also support one another in main-
taining normed behavior so that everyone can effectively learn and achieve at
high levels together.

Co-creating norms can be implemented in any classroom and is particu-
larly effective in middle and high schools when students are seeking opportu-
nities for greater agency in their lives.

VIGNETTE A: BEING STUDENT-CENTERED NURTURES

AN EFFECTIVE LEARNING COMMUNITY

All of the eighth graders wanted to be in Mr. Summer English language
class. From day one, he got to know his students: their cultures, life sto-
ries, and interests. Mr. Summer used these elements of their lives, cul-
tures, and interests to shape his pedagogy and lesson content daily. He
even made preparing for the statewide tests relevant and fun. One week,
he took the video game dynamics many of his students talked about play-
ing after school and tied them into how to make decisions and critically
think about some of the test-taking approaches needed for the statewide
tests. His students thought that was really cool. He regularly asked his
students for feedback and ideas about how to improve their learning
experience to support their success. Sometimes Mr. Summer would even
stop in the middle of a lesson if he noticed the students weren’t into it
to ask what they needed to reengage. He would ask what was working
and not working, along with eliciting their ideas for improvement in the
moment. He was really in tune with his students that way and learned
a lot about them by explicitly asking them to be active participants in
shaping their learning experience. He saw himself as a facilitator of
their learning community and a learner right along with his students. He
found that although challenging at times, co-creating the space, being
inclusive of everyone’s needs and interests, was very rewarding, and
his students were increasingly successful the more he embraced this

104   “These Kids Are Out of Control”

approach. His students loved the sense of agency they had in their class-
room, where from the outset, they knew their voices mattered. From the
beginning, they got to know one another and co-create their classroom
norms, grounded in rigor and high expectations for all. Their room was
filled with their positively framed co-created norms, images they chose
that inspired them, including images of themselves, and quotations and
other expressions of themselves that inspired them to learn, strive, and
thrive every day. Ja’Quaya, an artist, drew a beautiful border framing their
classroom norms. Franko, who loved to take pictures, took photos of the
students actively engaged in learning and put them up on the walls. All
the students chose or wrote quotations that inspired them, which were
then posted throughout the room and outside the door. In this classroom,
students felt valued and honored one another’s contribution, with the
teacher learning and growing along with the students every day.

Lingering Questions

1. Mr. Summer continually wondered, “How can I better tie my
student’s lives and interests into this lesson?”

2. Mr. Summer regularly scanned the room, watching body language
and listening to students talk about their experiences, and asked
himself, “Who’s checked out? What can I tweak in what I’m doing
right now to better engage everyone?”

3. Mr. Summer had a consistent practice of inquiring, “What can I
ask my students that would provide the information I need to best
support their success?”

A student-centered classroom environment honors the voices of
everyone within it. It positions the teacher as a facilitator of the learning
space and centers, not marginalizes, students’ cultures, knowledge, lived
experiences, interests, wants, and needs in ways that are deeply engaging
and provide agency for students to take ownership over their own learning.

BELIEF, EXPECTATIONS, AND RIGOR

A caring classroom environment includes a critically self-aware teacher who
holds deep belief in all students’ ability to achieve at high levels, has high
expectations for all students, and provides the academic rigor needed to grow
all students to high levels.

Teacher Beliefs, Bias, and Critical Self-Awareness

We all, including teachers, have biases based on being socialized in our soci-
ety (Grinage, 2011; Milner, 2010; Sue, 2015). As human beings, we often act

Chapter 4  •  Classroom Management Is About Creating a Caring Environment   105

and react from our implicit biases. By implicit bias, we mean the “automatic
and unconscious stereotypes that drive people to behave and make decisions
in certain ways” (Gilliam, Maupin, Reyes, Accavitti, & Shic, 2016, p. 3).
If left unexamined, we are rendered unable to deeply understand or con-
sciously determine our reactions. However, teachers can address implicit bias
in their teaching by examining their thoughts and associations about people.
This gives them more control over how they think, feel, and act toward peo-
ple, including their students (Devine, Forscher, Austin, & Cox, 2012). Some
examples of bias include the following: boys are more likely to excel at STEM
(science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) subjects than girls are,
English language learners are less intelligent than native English speakers are,
Black students are more likely to “cause trouble,” students living below the
poverty line do not value education, and Asian students will get better grades
than other students. Although these biases may seem positive or negative, they
are all harmful because they lead teachers to stereotype their students rather
than seeing them as individuals.

Examining biases is something that takes a great deal of honesty and prac-
tice over time, but it is worth the effort in the development of a caring class-
room culture. One useful online resource that provides insight into implicit
biases is called Project Implicit at Harvard University (https://implicit
.harvard.edu). Teachers should also be conscious of the adjectives they think
of, and other societal labels, when considering various aspects of their stu-
dents’ identities. Being conscious of these thoughts provides insights into the
biases they may hold. These insights can provide teachers with greater agency
in shaping their classroom environment.

CampbellJones, CampbellJones, and Lindsey (2010) provide a great exer-
cise to reflect on our biases:

Think of a time, not in your role as an educator, when you met
a person for the first time from a culture different from yours or
attended a cultural event that was an unusual experience for you.
Do you remember how you studied the person or event? Can you
recall the judgments you made? If you had the opportunity to get to
know the person or the event, recall your earlier judgments that you
later learned to be true and those that were not even close to being
true. (p. 33)

What might someone learn about their biases from such a reflective exer-
cise? How might a similar awareness of biases benefit educators in their school
setting? What benefits are there in teachers’ recognizing their biases, including
around race, especially with White teachers working with students, families,
and communities of color? Teachers can consider how such reflection can
positively influence their practice.

Race is a salient aspect of bias in the U.S. context, so it is particularly
important to reflect on it extensively. As discussed in previous chapters, Black

106   “These Kids Are Out of Control”

and Brown students have disparate experiences and outcomes in schooling.
Some of these outcomes are strongly associated with implicit biases around
race, including notions that Black and Brown people are not as intelligent
as White people are and, furthermore, that they should be feared, especially
Black men (Howard, 2013; Morris, 2016). These racist messages are a source
of racial inequity and injustice in the education system. Students are aware of
their teachers’ expectations of them. Studies have shown that Black students
may feel that their teachers have lower expectations of them than their White
counterparts, leaving them feeling disrespected, unappreciated, and lacking
true belonging in the classroom (Pringle et al., 2010; Saphier, 2017; Steele &
Cohn-Vargas, 2013). This is counter to creating a caring classroom environ-
ment for all.

It is imperative that teachers examine their implicit biases. It is also impor-
tant that teachers engage in critical reflective practices (Favela & Torres, 2014;
Howard, 2003; Milner, 2010). As discussed previously, teacher critical reflec-
tive practice and self-awareness play a significant role in the classroom. If stu-
dents are not achieving at high levels, for instance, it is an opportunity for
critical reflection regarding teachers’ expectations of their students and how
their levels of expectation may be manifesting in the classroom. It is worth-
while for teachers to engage in the critical reflective autobiography activity
discussed in Chapter 3. In Chapter 3, we discussed the importance of teach-
ers’ writing critical reflective autobiographies, engaging in critical reflection
in unit planning, and pursuing critical reflection in lesson planning. Building
on that, it is also important that critical reflection drive a teacher’s develop-
ment of the deeper interpersonal aspects of classroom culture. Asking the fol-
lowing kinds of questions can be helpful in this endeavor:

1. What do I believe about my students’ abilities?

2. What are my expectations of them and why?

3. How am I communicating my expectations of my students to them
(both verbally and nonverbally)?

4. How do my students react and respond to my communications?

5. Do I regularly communicate my belief in student’s ability to achieve at
high levels?

6. Have I created a caring classroom environment where students feel
valued and care for?

7. How do I inspire hope, confidence, and possibility in my students?

8. Do I ever cause harm to my students, even unintentionally, and if so,
how do I address it?

9. Do I remain asset based in my perception of my students?

Chapter 4  •  Classroom Management Is About Creating a Caring Environment   107

By regularly examining their responses to these questions, teachers can
feel confident that they are working toward building and sustaining a posi-
tive, caring classroom culture.

It is vital that teachers be critically reflective and continually seek honest,
deep understanding of their biases and beliefs that inform their expectations
of their students. This supports them in being fully responsible for the way
their biases affect or influence their interactions with students. This contrib-
utes to establishing a caring classroom environment.

High Expectations for All

Creating caring classroom environments that are central to effective classroom
management also involves having high expectations for all. In other words,
“teachers not only must believe in what they are doing, they must believe in
their students’ ability to learn” (Jamar & Pitts, 2005, pp. 129–130). Having
high expectations for all students has been shown to increase academic suc-
cess (Milner, 2007; Rist, 1970), motivation, and engagement (Pringle
et al., 2010) and to facilitate deeper, more meaningful and respectful teacher-
student relationships (Gay, 2010; Milner, 2010). Having high expectations for
all students requires that teachers be critically conscious regarding their beliefs
of students’ abilities (Howard, 2003; Saphier, 2017), that they enact rigorous
lessons (Jamar & Pitts, 2005), and that all of the necessary academic scaffold-
ing and social-emotional supports (Lee, Smith, Perry, & Smylie, 1999) are
built into their daily experiences in the classroom in ways that are responsive
to student needs.

Students tend to live up to our expectations, especially during those critical
identity development years from pre-K to 12th grade, when they are forming
their senses of self (Rist, 1970). Rosenthal and Jacobson (1968) found a cor-
relation between teacher expectations and student achievement in their work
around self-fulfilling prophecy, also known as the Pygmalion effect. This means
that when teachers have strong belief in their students and have high expecta-
tions of them, students tend to live up to those expectations and achieve at high
levels. Similarly, when teachers do not believe in their students’ ability to achieve
at high levels and have low expectations of them, students tend to achieve at
lower levels. We are stressing that it is essential for teachers to be mindful of and
work to eliminate their biases to be able to communicate their deep belief in all
of their students’ ability to achieve. Saphier (2017) provides ways to consider
how teachers speak and act with their students that can send messages of low or
high expectations. For instance, teachers should be reflective of how often they
call on which students, how they communicate with their students verbally and
nonverbally, and how those actions can affect their students’ senses of belief in
their own abilities and expectations of achievement. Having clear, consistent,
unbiased, explicitly communicated high expectations for all, rooted in unwav-
ering belief, can be a catalyst for high academic achievement.

108   “These Kids Are Out of Control”

When teachers have low expectations, students may experience that as
disrespect and can draw away from the relationship. In addition, students may
feel uncared for in ways that affect their experiences in the classroom, par-
ticularly as they relate to motivation and achievement (Pringle et al., 2010).
Such feelings can lead to unproductive behaviors. Pringle et al. (2010) found
that students who perceived that their teachers had low expectations of them
had “feelings of dread at attending the class, low morale, and a lack of motiva-
tion” (p. 36). Low expectations can manifest in multiple ways. For instance,
teachers may not have rigorous lessons and instead regularly depend on low-
level worksheets. Or teachers may allow a lot of down time in their classes by
not teaching bell to bell. Conversely, when teachers hold high expectations,
expressed through rigorous multimodal lessons, taught bell to bell through
active student learning and participation, students recognize these high
expectations and look forward to attending class, have higher morale, and are
more motivated to learn.

In addition to teacher-held expectations, not all students hold a deep
belief in themselves and their academic ability. Because of this, a caring class-
room culture with high expectations, which includes teachers’ consistently
reinforcing their belief in their students, may also encourage students to take
on this mindset for themselves. A caring classroom culture can serve as an
effective motivating factor in keeping students engaged in working toward
achieving at higher levels every day. Just as students may have believed nega-
tive narratives of themselves previously, they can grow into embracing asset-
based, belief-driven, positive narratives of themselves as well. This may lead
to a greater likelihood of higher achievement and a productive classroom
dynamic.

Academic Rigor

High expectations are expressed through academic rigor. By academic rigor,
we mean “the extent to which the knowledge work engaged in by students
requires cognitive simplicity–complexity” (Paige, Smith, & Sizemore, 2015).
It is understandable that when introducing a new topic, for instance, a teacher
may wish to do so in the most easily understood, simple form. It is expected in
a rigorous classroom, though, that the learning dynamic will become increas-
ingly more complex, challenging the students each day to think and learn in
more critical, nuanced ways. Students want to be challenged. They often think
that teachers have low expectations and do not care or believe in them when
there is only simple, minimal academic rigor in the classroom (Cushman,
2003). Low expectations coupled with low rigor particularly leaves students
of color and/or those living below the poverty line feeling that teachers do
not believe in their ability, pity them, or let them off easily because of their
economic and social circumstances (Rojas & Liou, 2017). Students having
this experience may lose respect for their teachers and consequently disengage
(Cushman, 2003).

Chapter 4  •  Classroom Management Is About Creating a Caring Environment   109

It is critical that teachers provide the appropriately matched high level of
rigor for each student to remain challenged and motivated to learn. Providing
the appropriate level of rigor is most effectively accomplished through teach-
ers’ deep knowledge of their students. If a teacher’s lessons are consistently
too simple, students can interpret it as a message of low expectations (Jamar
& Pitts, 2005) and get offended, bored, and disengaged. If lessons are consis-
tently too complex, they can get frustrated and give up. The goal is to know
students well enough to create rigorous lessons that challenge them to grow
in personalized, appropriate ways along the continuum of simple to complex
as they master new knowledge and skills. Rigor must also be coupled with
tailored scaffolding and support, as discussed in detail in the previous chapter,
for an effective caring classroom environment. It is also immensely helpful
to be knowledgeable regarding all of the resources for students outside of the
classroom connected to the school that provide academic supports, such as
tutoring. Knowing and connecting students to supportive resources will help
ensure that they have access to all that is available to them to succeed at high
levels.

To reiterate, a caring classroom environment has high expectations for
all and provides rigorous, scaffolded lessons that are facilitated by a critically
reflective teacher with deep belief in all students’ ability to learn at high levels.
When all of the above are enacted, students can experience significant success.

VIGNETTE B: HIGH EXPECTATIONS, RIGOR, AND BELIEF

ARE POWERFUL FOR STUDENT SUCCESS

Hilltop High School had an English language arts class for students who
had previously failed 11th grade English. Their teacher, Mr. Stevenson,
pushed himself to be critically reflective to ensure that he truly had
high expectations for all of his students. Because some of the students
had internalized some deficit views of themselves, Mr. Stevenson
also helped his students redefine the way they saw themselves as
the foundation for making high academic achievement possible.
This started from the very first minute on the very first day of class.
Mr. Stevenson stood in front of his students and explicitly shared his high
expectations and belief in them. Mr. Stevenson said, “This is not about
who you thought you were as a student before you walked in the door.
I’m only concerned about who you want to be now. You have a clean slate,
and you now get to write a new chapter in your life story. You can be and
become whoever and whatever you choose. I will see you as that and
support you in embodying it every day. It does not mean that we ever
forget who you’ve been, as your life experiences and choices have shaped
you into the person that you are today and are an important part of your
life story. What I understand is that some of your past experiences have
not inspired you. Some of your experiences may not have given you the

110   “These Kids Are Out of Control”

freedom and options to become whatever you want to in life. You deserve
the best. I believe that each and every one of you can earn straight A’s in
this class.” Many of his students pushed back. Tyrone said, “But I can’t.”
“I never got an A in my life,” said Frank. “But every teacher I’ve ever had
has expected me to fail,” said Shaniqua.

After discussing their concerns, they worked together to create their
classroom norms and expectations. “Hey y’all, let’s do this!” said Xander,
from a new space of possibility and belief. Frank, however, just didn’t buy
in and watched silently with his arms folded in the corner of the class.
Mr. Stevenson noticed Frank’s demeanor and talked with him person-
ally after class to check in on his reactions to this experience. He made
a mental note to continue to connect with Frank about this throughout
the weeks and months ahead. For Mr. Stevenson, this collaborative effort
was about transforming how his students saw themselves and what was
possible. Every day, he reinforced what they created and reminded them
collectively and personally how awesome, smart, and capable they were.
He maintained a high level of rigor in his lessons, ensuring that they were
constructed on the basis of their interests, and he scaffolded them appro-
priately each day. He also provided them with the psychological safety
they needed to succeed. Students came to see who they truly were, to see
their own brilliance and expand their possibilities. They rose to meet the
beliefs and high expectations Mr. Stevenson had for them, which many
then took on as their new identity.

Lingering Questions

1. As the semester wound down and winter break was upon
him, Mr. Stevenson wondered what else he could do to
connect with Frank, who still had not bought into the norms of
the class.

2. When these students return after winter break, what will Mr.
Stevenson need to do to get them back on track?

3. How could Mr. Stevenson help his students understand that they
have the potential to succeed in all of their classes, not just his?

4. What other communication moves could Mr. Stevenson make to
connect with Frank?

Students are often very aware of a teacher’s perceptions, beliefs
about, and expectations of them. Students notice when teachers are
explicitly clear about their beliefs and expectations of their students,
as in the case of Mr. Stevenson, or if their teachers are communicat-
ing implicitly through subtle and not-so-subtle interactions with them in
the classroom. When teachers hold high expectations of their students

Chapter 4  •  Classroom Management Is About Creating a Caring Environment   111

and support them in achieving them, students feel more seen, respected,
appreciated, and connected to their teachers and classroom community
in ways that enhance student engagement, motivation, learning, and
achievement (Milner, 2010).

PERSISTENT PRACTICES

Creating a caring student-centered classroom environment where teach-
ers hold high expectations for all requires persistent practices to cultivate
student learning and development. Persistent practices are ways of being
and doing that communicate to students that teachers care for them, always
believe in them, will never give up on them—and that failure is not an
option. Such practices are enacted on a daily basis as the foundation of estab-
lishing and maintaining a caring classroom environment. These practices
include balancing high expectations with demonstrated care, building rela-
tionships, providing a space for hope and healing, and cultivating belonging
and success.

Persistent Practice of Being a Warm Demander

One of the more effective persistent practices in nurturing a caring class-
room environment is being a “warm demander.” Kleinfeld (1975) introduced
the phrase “warm demander” to describe teachers who combined “personal
warmth [with] active demandingness” (p. 335). Warm demanders insist that
students meet high expectations in the classroom. According to Delpit (2012),
“warm demanders expect a great deal of their students, convince them of their
own brilliance, and help them to reach their potential in a disciplined and
structured environment” (p. 77). Delpit expands on this notion of being a
warm demander when noting that the warm, caring aspects of this approach
go beyond academics. Warm demanders “see themselves as advocates for the
young people within a system that may not be so caring. . . . They consider the
whole child, not just his or her mind” (p. 85). Warm demander teachers never
give up on their students. They know that students will have good and bad
days, just as we all do. However, when warm demanders are faced with behav-
iors that are not aligned with the classroom norms, they continue to remain
committed to their students’ success. Warm demanders foster a caring space
for their students to struggle, push back, get upset, and express the full range
of emotions.

Warm demanders give and earn respect, providing a space for their stu-
dents’ whole humanity in persistent ways every day. Instead of removing
students from their classrooms for sharing their frustration and reading it as
disrespect, warm demanders instead appreciate students’ struggle and process,

112   “These Kids Are Out of Control”

giving them the space and encouragement to remain in the classroom com-
munity and work through it. Warm demanders provide each of their students
with care, encouragement, and the support they need to continue to strive
beyond their previous bounds. Students who are being pushed in this way do
not always let teachers know how much they appreciate it in the moment, but
often consider their warm demander teachers to be the best they had. There
are many ways to approach this work, but they ultimately all communicate
to students that their teachers’ persistence shows that they care and that “she
thinks I’m worth her effort” (Saphier, 2017, p. 64). When caring relationships
are persistently nurtured and ground the classroom environment, students
are more likely to be fully engaged, grow in new and challenging ways, and
achieve academic success.

Persistent Practice of Building Relationships

Numerous scholars point to persistent, caring relationships as one of the
foundations for effective teaching and learning (Gay, 2010; Howard, 2010;
Ladson-Billings, 2009; Milner, 2010; Noddings, 2012). Duncan-Andrade
(2009) explained, “At the end of the day, effective teaching depends most
heavily on one thing: deep and caring relationships” (p. 191). Students are
often more motivated to engage in learning when they feel that their teacher
truly cares for them. For instance, a student who is performing quite well in
science and social studies may perform poorly in English if she thinks her
English teacher does not care about her. Demonstrating care with students
on a daily basis is a persistent practice that continually reinforces the relation-
ships as the foundation of their learning community.

How do teachers begin to develop these deep caring relationships? They
begin with persistent practices from the first day of school. A great way for
teachers to get to know their students personally and establish meaningful
relationships with them is to spend intensive time during the beginning of
each school year and then regular time woven throughout the school year to
focus on getting to know their students personally. This also provides teachers
the chance to see the distinction between their perspective and biases and who
their students are.

Milner (2011) delineated five clear actions that educators can also
adopt as persistent practices to cultivate relationships with their students:

1. Interview Your Students. Teachers sometimes spend infinite amounts
of time talking about students to their colleagues or to students’
parents but minimal time actually talking to students themselves.
This strategy suggests that teachers engage in conversations with
students themselves to learn from and about them.

2. Give assignments that allow students to share their experiences and
interests. In language arts, assignments might include journal writing

Chapter 4  •  Classroom Management Is About Creating a Caring Environment   113

or essay writing. In social studies, assignments might include family
history projects or local community-studies projects. In mathematics or
science, assignments might include student-constructed word problems
or community-based inquiry projects where students investigate the
effects of environmental realities on health, crime, and/or poverty in
their community.

3. Encourage classroom discussions that let students be the center of
attention. Teachers should not always be at the center of discussions
but should allow students to share events and experiences from home
and their community. Students should be allowed to share whatever
information they feel comfortable discussing. When I taught high
school English, I used to facilitate what I came to call “rap sessions”
that allowed students to have conversations with each other about what
was happening in their lives inside and outside of school. The students
developed topics that they wanted to discuss, and we selected a few that
allowed them to debate issues or just to share their perspectives on a
particular theme.

4. Attend extracurricular activities featuring your students. It means
something to students when teachers take time out of their schedules
to visit an activity they are involved in. . . . It is important for teachers
to attend students’ activities—such as their plays or sporting events—
even when they are not on duty as coaches, chaperones, directors,
or sponsors. Teachers from elementary through high school should
feel a sense of responsibility to be present at events that help complete
students’ educational experiences such as those connected to extra-
curricular activities.

5. Visit a site in your students’ community. When teachers immerse
themselves in a student’s community, they get a first-hand view of the
student’s life outside the learning environment.

The classroom culture and curriculum should build on the knowledge
gained from learning about students. Doing so as a daily persistent practice
has students feel more fully acknowledged as an integral part of the class-
room community. Connected to these practices, teachers can engage in daily,
meaningful communication that supports the development and maintenance
of caring relationships. Teachers should regularly check in with their students.
There are many ways to enact this, including welcoming students at the door,
taking note of their nonverbal and verbal communication, asking students
how they are and what they need, inquiring about their experience of the
classroom climate and culture, and soliciting their reflections on lessons and
expectations. If a student seems “off” that day, a teacher can proactively check
in with the student personally as soon as possible.

114   “These Kids Are Out of Control”

In addition, teachers should model the kinds of sharing they hope to
elicit from their students. Teachers can be transparent about their own expe-
rience of the classroom and, to some extent, their own lives. For instance,
a teacher may share with the class that he is feeling “off,” such as when he
was up all night caring for a sick child and is therefore tired that day. This
way, students can understand why the teacher may be acting differently than
usual. This can help students feel more safe and comfortable when teacher
behavior is out of the norm. Teachers can also acknowledge when they make
mistakes, providing a safe space for students to also make mistakes and feel
that they too can offer and receive critical feedback. These persistent prac-
tices of open, honest communication nurture dynamics of care and trust in
the classroom.

Duncan-Andrade (2007) provides a deep analysis of various relationship
dynamics, including the difference between being liked and being loved.
According to Duncan-Andrade (2007), the one factor that most differenti-
ates the experience of like from that of love is trust. In his research, he found
that the shift from students’ liking to loving a teacher occurred “because
of the love and support that accompanied raised expectations. Sometimes
this was simple encouragement, but many times it meant amplifying the
personal support given to students. . . . And when that help is from someone
[who] loves you, in spite of your shortcomings, you learn to trust that person”
(pp. 634–635). This sense of love is powerful when it is reciprocal between a
teacher and the students in terms of how it manifests in what is then possible
in the classroom. As Duncan-Andrade states, “The people [who] we love can
demand levels of commitment from us that defy even our own notions of
what we are capable of. People [who] we like, but do not love, typically are
not able to push the limits of our abilities” (p. 634). The teachers in his study
who developed these deep trusting relationships also expressed that they
were “indignant about student failure. This was due largely to the fact that
they saw the failure of a student as their own failure. At the same time, they
never excused students from their responsibility” (Duncan-Andrade, 2007,
p. 635). The persistent practices of being a warm demander, nurturing caring
relationships, and challenging students with love and support help maintain
the needed trust required for effective caring classroom environments.

Persistent Practice of Psychological Safety

In order to have high expectations and a rigorous caring classroom culture,
teachers must also have a persistent practice of providing a psychologically
safe space for learning. By psychological safety, we mean “the feeling that tak-
ing interpersonal risks will not result in embarrassment, ridicule, or shame,
(which) enables people to engage, connect, change, and learn” (Wanless,
2016, p. 6). Teachers providing psychologically safe spaces for learning can
reduce barriers to engagement and support students in having greater agency
in the classroom (Wanless, 2016).

Chapter 4  •  Classroom Management Is About Creating a Caring Environment   115

Hammond (2015) provides a detailed understanding of how important
psychologically safe spaces are for students’ brain functioning. Hammond
describes how fundamental relationships are for learning and how in addition
to an emotional component, they also have a physical component rooted in
the nervous system. She explains how our autonomic nervous system commu-
nicates information about our environment regarding how safe or hostile it is
to us, including in a classroom environment. If a space we are in is determined
to be unsafe in any way, our body receives a distress signal from our brain.
That signal then cues the body to create stress hormones, which render learn-
ing virtually impossible. This being the case, it is critical for student learning
that teachers build caring, trusting relationships with them “that signal to the
brain a sense of physical, psychological, and social safety so that learning is
possible” (Hammond, 2015, p. 45).

A significant part of creating a safe space for learning is fostering a sense of
identity safety in students. According to Steele and Cohn-Vargas (2013), “stu-
dents have a sense of identity safety when they believe that their social identity
is an asset, rather than a barrier to success in the classroom, and that they are
welcomed, supported, and valued whatever their background” (p. 5). Identity
safety is particularly critical when working to counter stereotype threat.
Stereotype threat is a theory that delves into students’ concerns that a negative
stereotype, such as being a low-achieving student, made about a group of peo-
ple whom they identify with will be confirmed inadvertently through their
behavior or that they could be treated or judged by others, including teachers,
on the basis of that stereotype (Steele, 1997). The experience of stereotype
threat in students can manifest in actual lower test scores and achievement.
Creating an experience of identity safety for all students is fundamental for
a psychologically safe and caring classroom environment where all students
have a sense of belonging and are supported to achieve at high levels.

There are many ways that providing psychological safety in the classroom
can manifest in positive, productive student behaviors during the learning pro-
cess. For instance, according to Wanless (2016), when students experience psy-
chological safety, “they are more likely to enact self-regulated strategies such as
offering ideas, admitting and learning from mistakes, asking for help, engag-
ing in learning opportunities, providing feedback to others, and speaking up”
(pp. 7–8). So how can teachers create psychologically safe environments for
their students to learn and thrive? Four ways of creating psychologically safe
classroom spaces have already been discussed in this book in other contexts,
and these apply here as well. They are building caring, trusting relation-
ships (Wanless, 2016); enacting culturally responsive pedagogy (Cholewa,
Goodman, West-Olatunji, & Amatea, 2014); providing challenging, rigorous
learning opportunities (Steele & Cohn-Vargas, 2013); and using restorative
practices (Gregory, Clawson, Davis, & Gerewitz, 2015). It is helpful for teach-
ers to know that these four key ways of being and doing in the classroom have so
many intersecting benefits for their students. For this chapter, we will continue

116   “These Kids Are Out of Control”

to build on how caring, trusting relationships help create psychologically safe
spaces for learning. As mentioned previously, when teachers are attuned to
their students and actively notice and inquire into why students may be disen-
gaged, frustrated, and unresponsive, teachers can better address their students’
needs. Doing so adds to the students’ senses of psychological safety. Although
students may seem to be frustrated about not understanding a lesson, they may
actually be reacting to deeper problems, such as hunger, sleep deprivation, or
other problems outside of the school environment. It is important for students
to feel heard in these moments of distress. When teachers do not provide the
space for students to be heard and supported, students’ behavior may become
unproductive or even counterproductive. These student behaviors can affect
the whole classroom environment. For instance, students and teachers working
together may establish a signal for students to nonverbally communicate that
they need teachers’ support before acting out in unproductive ways.

Students and teachers should be actively and consistently communicating so
that they develop their knowledge and understanding of each other. To continue
to nurture a psychologically safe space, it is vital for teachers to be sensitive to and
aware of when conversations are appropriate to have classroom-wide and when
to have them one on one with individual students. For instance, the whole class
could discuss their shared need to have the co-created norms and expectations
posted in the classroom as a point of reference to ground their relationships with
one another and anchor their learning experiences each day. Individual students,
however, may need the opportunity to share one on one that they sometimes get
frustrated when they do not understand a concept being taught and they want
to discuss how to best deal with that frustration. A psychologically safe space
provides the understanding that students will not be judged when they share
themselves in vulnerable ways, and that it is safe to do so.

Persistent Practice of Fostering Critical Hope

Teachers who develop and sustain caring classroom environments enact the
persistent practice of fostering critical hope. Critical hope is about developing
the awareness of societal injustice paired with the hope that change is possible
with concerted action (Duncan-Andrade, 2009; Sutton, 2015). According to
Duncan-Andrade (2009), critical hope is a powerful source of inspiration and
possibility for students’ learning and lives. It is imperative that teachers are
in the struggle for such justice along with their students, whether they are of
the social identity group experiencing the unjust oppression or not (Duncan-
Andrade, 2009). Our schools and classrooms are microcosms of our larger
society. Oppression and marginalization occur in those spaces as well. Teachers
need to be cognizant of how they either interrupt or perpetuate injustice and
oppression in their spaces. Teachers must continually critically reflect on their
actions and practice, as mentioned previously, to critically understand their
role in such dynamics.

Chapter 4  •  Classroom Management Is About Creating a Caring Environment   117

When teachers develop the persistent practice of fostering critical hope
in solidarity with their marginalized students they communicate deep
love and care for them. Duncan-Andrade (2009) intertwines this idea of
critical hope with the fundamental need for healing, which he says is an
essential and often unacknowledged aspect of increasing achievement in
schools. Part of healing is having the space to share our pain and have that
pain acknowledged (Ainslie, 2013). According to Duncan-Andrade (2009),

too many of us try to create classroom spaces that are safe from
righteous rage, or, worse, we design plans to weed out children who
display it. The question we should be grappling with is not how to
manage students with these emotions, but how to help students
channel them. (p. 190)

Teachers must always be cognizant of how their actions affect the class-
room environment for all of their students. Teachers need to continually criti-
cally reflect and ask themselves, “Are my actions providing a space for healing
or causing additional harm? Are my actions in solidarity with my students
and engendering critical hope or am I perpetuating inequities, oppression
and pain?” For example, Jose was getting frustrated with a math problem in
Mr. Bennett’s class, and Jose expressed his upset by yelling curse words and
banging on his desk repeatedly. Teachers might find this behavior offensive
and problematic and react by writing Jose up and sending him out of the
room to the principal’s office. Any number of disciplinary actions could be
taken against Jose as a result, possibly sending him along the pipeline to
prison. In the meantime, being removed from class may have also meant that
he no longer felt a sense of belonging, experienced a break in relationship
with the teacher, and would also miss valuable learning time, making it that
much more difficult for him to learn the math content he was struggling with
in the first place, rendering him that much more behind in class. What might
it have looked like for Mr. Bennett to instead stand in solidarity with Jose?
How could he have heard his pain and struggle, and provide the care needed
in that moment? How might he have supported Jose in working through his
emotions and academic needs to process forward toward success?

Teachers can foster critical hope with their students by (a) being
critically reflective of the self, school, and society; (b) deeply listening to
and acknowledging students’ expressions of emotions in all their forms, pro-
viding a space for healing; and (c) standing in solidarity against oppression
with their marginalized students. Those are three examples of persistent prac-
tices for teachers to engender critical hope in a caring classroom environment.

Persistent Practices for Belonging and Success

Pringle et al.’s (2010) research showed that students “perceived a direct associ-
ation between the negatively charged interpersonal relationships with certain

118   “These Kids Are Out of Control”

teachers that had decreased their feelings of belongingness in the classroom
setting” (p. 35), which affected their levels of motivation and engagement.
A student’s sense of belonging is also connected to their experience of the level
of psychological safety (Wanless, 2016) in the classroom.

In persistently practicing cultivating a sense of belonging for all students,
teachers commit to doing anything necessary to keep students in the class-
room. Students’ being removed from the classroom can have negative con-
sequences academically as well as social-emotionally. This is the case not just
for the student being removed from the classroom community but for all of
the students who remain as well. This occurs because knowing that students
can be removed from the classroom community can hurt students’ senses of
psychological safety in their classrooms. In addition to a diminished sense
of belonging, students who miss classroom learning time tend to fall behind
academically (Gottfried, 2010). When students are sent out of the classroom,
it damages their relationships with the teacher and the classroom community.
This can also lead to students disengaging upon their return to the classroom.
Students should be provided with every opportunity to remain in the learning
community. Teachers should seek to understand their students’ behavior and
meet their needs before considering writing up referrals and sending them out
of the classroom to be penalized. Teachers should also do their best to treat
every day as a new day. If students demonstrate behaviors that are not in line
with the co-created classroom norms, the teacher can wipe the slate clean at
the end of the period and communicate with the students that they too can
start the next day anew. Doing so proactively maintains students’ senses of
belonging in the classroom. Teachers should also remember that behavior is
taught, just like subject content, and to be patient as students learn and grow
in this area too.

When dealing with difficult situations with students, all teachers should
have a persistent practice of asking themselves such questions as these:

• Have I listened and heard what this student is communicating
verbally?

• Have I missed any nonverbal cues?

• Is the student experiencing distress?

• Have I contributed to this distress in any way? If I have, what
can I do to acknowledge it, take responsibility and work to
heal it?

• Have I tried everything possible to support this student in
being successful both academically and behaviorally?

Asking such questions helps teachers maintain relationships, a sense of
belonging, and more learning opportunities leading to student success.

Chapter 4  •  Classroom Management Is About Creating a Caring Environment   119

Teachers must be persistent in keeping caring connected relationships with
their students at the fore, knowing that a break in belonging with one student
can affect all of their students’ experiences in the classroom environment.

VIGNETTE C: PERSISTENT CARING RELATIONSHIPS
MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Ms. Green was a 12th grade English teacher at Overbrook High School.
She consistently worked to build relationships with all of her students,
welcoming them at the door each day and building the learning experi-
ences around their interests. She also had a sign on her door that read,
“Every day is a new day!” letting them know that she would not give up on
them, even if yesterday was a bad day. Despite these practices, Ms. Green
struggled to connect with Cy, a student in her fifth period English class.
Cy was frequently suspended and missed many days of school, making
getting to know him more difficult. Although she consistently worked to
connect with Cy, she had been unsuccessful with building a relationship
with him, but she kept trying. She was finally able to make a connec-
tion when she saw his photography as part of a multimedia assignment
in their class. Through his photography assignment, Ms. Green learned
that Cy’s mom, who died when he was 6 years old, was a photographer
as well. He used her old camera to take pictures. As Ms. Green contin-
ued to talk with him about his photography, Cy shared with her that his
father wrestled with addiction and that their family struggled financially.
This new knowledge about him helped her understand why he was often
upset and disengaged from class. As she continued to get to know him
throughout the semester, he shared that he was considering dropping
out of school. She made it clear that she completely believed in him and
that dropping out of school was not an option and that he deserved bet-
ter. They had an idea to make him the school photographer, which gave
him a greater sense of belonging in the classroom and the school. Other
teachers also got to see him in new ways that helped with their relation-
ship building with him too.

Ms. Green was pleased with the way Cy had grown and developed
during his senior year as well as the way she and her colleagues were
able to see his strengths and assets. Nonetheless, Ms. Green found her-
self pondering some unresolved questions.

Lingering Questions

1. How else could she support Cy in his continued development?

2. What other students was she “missing” in her daily attempts to get
to know them?

120   “These Kids Are Out of Control”

A caring classroom environment is one where teachers engage in
five persistent practices. First, they are warm demanders who balance
personal warmth with high expectations for all students. Second, they
engage in relationship building that is both deep and caring. Third, they
create a psychologically safe space for learning. Fourth, they foster a
sense of critical hope in their classrooms. And fifth, they help students
have a sense of belonging in the classroom community. Engaging in
these five persistent practices helps teachers hold the student experi-
ence at the forefront of classroom management endeavors and pro-
vides a caring classroom environment.

PARTNERSHIP WITH FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES

So far in this chapter we have discussed the importance of being student-
centered, having high expectations for all, and engaging in persistent practices
in support of student success. The fourth and final piece that is needed for
creating a caring classroom environment is building and sustaining partner-
ships with families and communities. By families, we mean those who care and
provide support for students, whether related by blood or not. By communities,
we mean the people and organizations students are connected to in their neigh-
borhood and local area. By partnerships, we mean meaningful and collaborative
relationships that benefit everyone involved. Students do not exist in isolation
but are deeply rooted in their families and communities. The more teachers
understand their students’ familial and community context and connect those
assets to the classroom learning opportunities, the more responsive the whole
classroom experience will be. Making these connections also demonstrates
teachers’ deep levels of caring and commitment to their students.

Partnering With Families

Families can include mothers, fathers, stepparents, grandparents, aunts,
uncles, siblings, foster parents, family friends who may act as family members,
and group home staff, among others. It is critical to be aware and respectful of
all of the many forms that families can take.

Teachers may feel that they do not have enough time to communicate with
families. However, doing so may lead to many positive benefits. For instance,
some research suggests that partnerships with families can lead to higher
academic achievement, graduation rates, and improved attendance (Oxley,
2013). Building partnerships with families can also lead to decreases in student
disruptive behaviors (Hohlfeld, Ritzhaupt, & Barron, 2010).

Establishing Relationships With Families

The first step in building partnerships with families is communication. Even
before the school year starts, teachers can send e-mails, send letters through

Chapter 4  •  Classroom Management Is About Creating a Caring Environment   121

the mail, or call home to introduce themselves. Some schools use Web sites
or apps to make connections between teachers and families. Technology
can be an easy, effective way to stay in touch with families if they have access
to it.

When a teacher is calling a family member, right after introducing
themself, the teacher should ask the family member if they have a few minutes
to talk. A teacher can ask, “Is now an okay time?” This respectful act lets the
family member know that the teacher realizes that the family member is busy
and that the teacher may be interrupting something. It also makes the family
member focus more intently on the conversation. If the family member says
that it is not a good time, the teacher should ask when might be a better time
and follow up then.

When initially reaching out to families for the first time, teachers can
begin with an introduction about themselves. A personal introduction will
humanize the teacher. Until then, the teacher is often just seen as part of the
educational institution. Family members may already have lots of thoughts
and feelings about teachers from their own experiences or in the past with
their students, which are not always positive. In addition, a teacher can also
assure families of the following:

• The teacher cares about the student and will do whatever they
can for the student to be successful in the class.

• The teacher wants to learn from them anything that can help
them teach with the student most effectively.

• The teacher values their input, knowledge, and experience and
sees them as partners in supporting the student to achieve.

• The family can contact the teacher and should feel invited to
do so at any time.

The teacher should also add a form for family members to fill out regard-
ing what they want and need in terms of communication. This can help
establish a strong, positive relationship from the beginning. Be sure to ask
the following:

• the name(s) of the family member(s) who should be contacted
as well as their relationship(s) to the student,

• the preferred form(s) of communication,

• contact information, and

• best times and days to connect.

122   “These Kids Are Out of Control”

In reaching out to families in this way, families may begin to know that
they can regard teachers as partners. As a result of this, families’ responses
may be more warm and welcoming to future teacher contacts.

This initial communication can also include a survey, such as a “Getting
to Know My Student” form for families to complete, providing lots of rich,
useful information that can assist teachers in getting to know their students
from the families’ perspectives. It is important that teachers use their profes-
sional judgment in posing questions to families in order to avoid probes that
may come across as disrespectful. For instance, it is important when teachers
communicate with families to remember the wide array of family dynamics
they may encounter. For instance, teachers should not inquire about a family
member’s marital status or income level in a beginning-of-the-year contact, as
this may come across as insensitive.

Another simple action that can have a positive impact on teachers’ rela-
tionships with families is for teachers to frequently connect with families to
share only positive news. Taking a couple of minutes to send a message or
make a call to share something positive about the student can be tremen-
dously helpful. This can be especially important in the case of a student who
is demonstrating growth and progress. Ideally, positive contact should occur
more often than negative contact, so that families know that teachers see their
students’ many assets. An additional benefit to this is evident when a teacher
needs to contact a family member to discuss an issue or problem. In this case,
because there have already been a number of positive contacts with family
members, they already know that the teacher genuinely cares about and sees
the whole student. As a result, the family members are often more open to
listening and less defensive than when these kinds of interactions are the first
and/or only time the teacher and family ever connect.

When communicating with a family member about an issue or a prob-
lem, a teacher should consider sharing the student’s positive qualities first
and last. This can be remembered using the initials “PNP.” These letters
remind the teacher to share a positive point, then communicate the negative
issue, and then close with another positive point. Teachers should be care-
ful to offer positive points only if they are true. This communication will be
counterproductive if the teacher does not communicate in a genuine man-
ner. Teachers should remember that even the most challenging students have
assets. For instance, even if a student will not complete written work, that
student may still be an excellent critical thinker and significantly contribute
to class discussions.

When communicating with family members, it is recommended to
make a list of all of the points about the students that teachers want to
discuss. Teachers should use easily referenced bullet points as much as pos-
sible. Reading from notes at any great length makes it difficult to engage
in effective dialogue and listen to family members. Teachers should be

Chapter 4  •  Classroom Management Is About Creating a Caring Environment   123

prepared with a list of possible solutions to any issues or problems as well.
This may include available resources and any school policies that relate to
the issue at hand.

In addition to having notes, teachers must also reflect on their own
attitudes before calling family members. They may even need to shift their
attitudes and reconsider their word choices to have a positive interaction
with a family member. This may be needed because families sometimes
sense negative teacher attitudes about their students and become defensive
during phone conversations. It also helps for teachers to take a few deep
breaths to calm and ground themselves before and during interactions with
families when needed. Teachers are encouraged to use objective language
when describing student actions. An example of objective language would
be “Johnny missed the last five homework assignments.” This type of lan-
guage is more effective than subjective language. An example of subjective
language would be “Johnny is lazy because he does not do his homework.”
Objective language is more effective because it simply states the facts and
tends to produce more positive reactions from families. Families may react
more strongly to subjective language, which may convey a judgment about
the student attached to it. It is helpful for teachers to remember that fam-
ily members are human beings too and share the same range of thoughts
and feelings that teachers do. Families should never be made to feel that
their children’s teachers are the enemy. Teachers should consistently work
to position themselves as partners with families in addressing any problems
or issues related to student success. Working together is more effective.

How teachers listen to families is just as important as how teachers speak
to families. Most family members deeply love and care for their students.
This is the source of most of their reactions in communicating with teach-
ers. It is important for teachers to hear and honor the families as advocates
for their children. This perspective provides a compassionate place to listen
from, especially if reactions escalate. In most cases, families are just doing
their best to love and support their students. Considering the importance of
such communication efforts with families can assist teachers in this valuable
endeavor.

Negotiating Conflict With Families

When communicating with family members about difficult conversations it is
not uncommon for family members to become angry. Teachers should provide
families with a safe, caring space to have all of their feelings heard. Teachers do
not need to agree with what the family member is sharing, but active listen-
ing helps teachers a great deal with relationship building (Whitbourne, 2012).
This is an opportune time for teachers to contemplate what the source of the
family member’s upset might be. For instance,

124   “These Kids Are Out of Control”

• Is the family member feeling that her child is being treated
unjustly? If yes, how so?

• Does she feel offended by something the teacher just said? If so,
what was it?

• Has the family member been contacted multiple times
about the same issue and feels that the student is not being
supported sufficiently by the school? If so, what does the
family member think should happen?

• Is the family member only just being told about a problem that
has been going on for a while? Is he now upset that he was
not informed earlier? Does the family member feel that the
teacher does not understand the student because the two are
of different races? How does this difference play a role?

• Does the family member feel that the teacher does not
understand the student because the two are of different
genders? How does this difference play a role?

• Does the family member feel that the teacher does not
understand the student because the two are of different
socioeconomic statuses? How does this difference play a role?

Furthermore, teachers should consider the following techniques when
interacting with upset family members. Teachers can listen closely to the fam-
ily member’s tone of voice and what it is communicating. If a family member
does get loud or upset, the teacher can take a deep breath and soften their tone
of voice. This is a time for active listening. These actions can help deescalate the
situation. By using strategies such as these, teachers can deepen their under-
standing of students’ families, move beyond conflict, and build true partner-
ships that support student success.

Meeting Families in Person

When meeting families in person, teachers should be aware of their body lan-
guage. Teachers should use open body language, such as avoiding crossing
their arms. Open body language shows that a teacher is open and accessi-
ble. When sitting down with family members, teachers should be thought-
ful about seating arrangements to balance the power dynamics. For instance,
teachers should sit at the same table with families or use the same classroom
chairs as their family member guests. Always let the family know beforehand
who will be attending the meeting so that they are not surprised and do not
feel intimidated when they enter the meeting room. Moves such as these make
families feel as comfortable as possible.

Chapter 4  •  Classroom Management Is About Creating a Caring Environment   125

In addition, when meeting with families, consider issues of access. Are all
of the family-teacher meetings scheduled to occur in the school, or are they
also situated in the communities? Do meeting times take into consideration
the family members’ work schedules? Have teachers considered doing home
visits if families are interested (Ginsburg, 2011)? Such questions speak to the
issue of equity in access and opportunity and are fundamental in building
partnerships with families.

Connecting Family Members as Classroom Assets

The notion of bringing students’ assets into the classroom can also be expanded
upon with their families. In addition to families being knowledgeable about
their children, they are also rich sources of knowledge for developing a car-
ing classroom environment. This builds on the concept of funds of knowl-
edge. Funds of knowledge represent “a positive (and, we argue, realistic) view
of households as containing ample cultural and cognitive resources with great
potential utility for classroom instruction” (Moll, Amanti, Neff, & Gonzalez,
1992, p. 134). As teachers get to know families and their multitude of assets,
teachers can invite families into the classroom to teach and facilitate in cultur-
ally responsive ways from their knowledge, skills, and experiences.

There are countless ways to create a bridge between families and the
classroom. Ladson-Billings (1995) discusses the importance of connect-
ing families and schools, such as bringing in family members as artists or
craftspeople in residence. This provides a meaningful opportunity to con-
nect cultural knowledge to the classroom. An example of this occurred in
Mr. Davis’s sixth grade English language class. Mr. Davis invited his student
Shaneeka’s grandmother, Ms. Shamilah, to be an artist in residence during
a unit in which students read a historical novel. Ms. Shamilah was known
in the community for creating story quilts. Together they all decided on a
scene from the novel they wanted to capture on a quilt for their class project.
Ms. Shamilah taught the students how to create the quilt. Students also collab-
orated with the math teacher, Ms. Donaldson, who, along with Ms. Shamilah,
helped students understand the measurements needed to create their quilt.
Ms. Shamilah came to class a number of times throughout the month to carry
out various aspects of the unit. This lesson was highly engaging. Students were
so delighted by Ms. Shamilah’s lessons that they remained focused and atten-
tive the entire time.

Family members can be invaluable partners for classroom teachers. By
taking the time to establish good relationships with families, teachers know
that they have built strong bridges with their students’ most fervent advo-
cates. By being thoughtful about their communication with families, teachers
can understand that conflict may happen and can be resolved successfully.
By being mindful of how body language and space dynamics affect com-
munication, teachers can successfully meet face to face with families in ways
that nurture relationships. And by connecting family members’ assets to the

126   “These Kids Are Out of Control”

classroom, teachers are taking many positive steps toward building true part-
nerships with families.

Partnering With Communities

Just as teachers can build partnerships with families, teachers can also build
partnerships with community members and organizations. Indeed, com-
munity involvement in schools has positive effects on student achievement,
delinquency rates, and student behavior (Hohlfeld et al., 2010). Building on
the cultural wealth (Yosso, 2005) of the community is also a very powerful
way to extend the caring classroom environment and bring culturally respon-
sive resources into the school. Again, students do not exist in isolation but are
immersed in and shaped by families and communities. The more we under-
stand, embrace, and connect to our students’ community contexts, the more
effective we will be in building relationships, developing culturally responsive
curricula, and expanding our caring classroom environment.

One way community organizations can support students in schools is by
offering social services needed by students and their families. Basic human
needs must be met for significant learning to occur. Maslow (1943) detailed
the five fundamental areas of human needs as physiological needs, safety, love
and belongingness, esteem, and self-actualization. Many of these were previ-
ously discussed in this chapter. A caring classroom environment must address
these basic human needs. Addressing these needs is one way community orga-
nizations can become classroom partners. Although teachers should not be
expected to meet all students’ needs, they are well positioned to link their stu-
dents to the many assets in their school and communities. With teachers as
the first line of contact with students, knowing what assets and resources exist
for students to access can be extraordinarily helpful and a powerful extension
of the caring classroom environment. According to Favela and Torres (2014),
“teachers can work with their school counselors and community organiza-
tions to connect students and their families to resources, solutions, and hope”
(p. 51). Many communities have programs that address basic human needs,
such as food banks, mental health supports, health clinics, and tutoring and
mentoring programs for students. By teachers connecting students to such
community assets, students feel cared for and are more likely to achieve.

For teachers to be effective with their students, it is imperative that they
know their students’ community contexts. One way for teachers to get know
their students’ community contexts is to spend quality time in the commu-
nities they serve and learn about all of their assets. Teachers can learn more
about their students’ communities by conducting a community resource
analysis (Favela & Torres, 2014). This is a process by which teachers can
explore and gain greater understanding about community assets, including
schools, nonprofit organizations, houses of worship, businesses, health cen-
ters, entertainment, and libraries. Spending quality time in communities,

Chapter 4  •  Classroom Management Is About Creating a Caring Environment   127

going to activities there, talking with community members, using businesses
and such can be extremely beneficial in providing context and contacts for
the classroom. Inviting community experts into the school and classroom
have multiple benefits. Some of these benefits include the creation of school-
community networks, the identification of role models, and promot-
ing diverse perspectives (Favela & Torres, 2014). Bringing in community
organizations connects communities and schools in meaningful culturally
responsive ways, providing rich cultural contexts for learning (Ladson-
Billings, 1995). Communities are rich with assets and resources that can
enhance classroom learning by increasing the relevance of the curriculum
while communicating the message to students that their communities and
their cultures matter, thus deepening the sense of care in the classroom.

VIGNETTE D: CONNECTING COMMUNITY ASSETS

AND CLASSROOM LEARNING

Ms. Sanchez, a second grade teacher in an urban elementary school,
was well known for her outreach with parents and communities. Com-
munity members were regularly brought into the classroom to read
their favorite books, and elders shared firsthand accounts about the
histories of their communities. Ms. Washington, a neighborhood elec-
trician, came in to teach about the profession. Students knew Ms.
Washington well, because in addition to being an electrician, she was
also a pastor in a church down the street from the school. The stu-
dents really enjoyed getting to see what she did and learning all of the
math and science involved in her work. Ms. Washington loved coming
back, because she had attended that elementary school as a child, and
she enjoyed sharing what she knew about electricity. She also offered
to come back to the school for parents’ night and share information
about electricity access programs for financially struggling families.
Ms. Sanchez’s classroom caring permeated the walls and reached into her
students’ homes and communities in meaningful ways that nurtured deep
relationships and everyone’s sense of belonging.

Lingering Questions

1. After Ms. Washington’s visit, Ms. Sanchez wondered how she
could reach out into the community and connect with other
community members as well.

2. Ms. Sanchez also wondered how the community members could
continue to support her reaching her curricular goals.

3. Ms. Sanchez also pondered ways her students’ family members’
assets could be connected to their classroom as well.

128   “These Kids Are Out of Control”

A caring classroom environment is one where teachers develop part-
nerships with students’ families and communities. A number of strate-
gies for building partnerships with families include being proactive about
building relationship with families before any problems arise. Teachers
can be mindful of how they negotiate any conflicts with families that may
occur. Teachers can be thoughtful about how they interact with families
when meeting face to face. Teachers can regard families as classroom
assets to enrich student experiences. Similarly, community members
can be regarded as classroom partners as well. By inviting community
members into classroom spaces, teachers can make students’ experi-
ences between community and school more seamless and address stu-
dents’ needs as well.

CONCLUSION

This chapter discussed the interconnectedness and importance of class-
rooms being student-centered, having high expectations and rigor for all,
built on persistent practices, with partnerships with families and communi-
ties as a foundation for caring classroom environments. By being student-
centered, we mean co-creating a classroom with students that is culturally
responsive and addresses their learning needs in engaging ways. By hav-
ing high expectations and rigor for all, we mean that the teachers believe
in every student’s ability to achieve at high levels, plan challenging lessons
accordingly, and provide the needed supports for success. By having per-
sistent practices, we mean that teachers are consistently being and doing
in ways that nurture a caring classroom environment, including critical
self-reflection, relationship building with students, maintaining a psycho-
logically safe space for learning, and fostering critical hope and a sense of
belonging in their classrooms. By partnerships with families and communi-
ties, we mean that teachers consistently build relationships with the people
who are extensions of their students’ lives in meaningful ways and connect
their funds of knowledge to the classroom.

In other words, teachers should consistently show care and communi-
cate meaningfully with students and their families, co-create classroom
expectations around academics and behavior with their students, maintain
high expectations for all, and show to students a belief that all can attain
them, providing the necessary individualized academic and social emotional
supports to reach them. Doing all this provides a nurturing, engaging class-
room climate and culture where all students can thrive and succeed in ways
that manage the classroom space effectively. These ways of being and doing
also play an important role in disrupting the cradle-to-prison pipeline.

Chapter 4  •  Classroom Management Is About Creating a Caring Environment   129

Key Ideas and Recommendations

Student-Centered Belief, High Persistent Practices Partner With
Expectations, Families and
and Rigor Communities
Meaningful
Students’ culture, Teachers’ beliefs, Persistent practices collaboration
voice, needs, wants, biases, and critical are ways of with families and
and interests are self-awareness being and doing communities extends
centralized and must be reflected on consistently each the caring classroom
amplified. Students and fundamentally day that create a environment (Ladson-
have greater agency understood as the caring classroom Billings, 1995).
in the classroom. drivers of expectation environment. When partnering
(Devine et al., 2012). with families, focus
on establishing
Student-centered High expectations The warm demander relationships and
approaches are for all students approach requires working through
designed with are imperative for deep caring conflict in ways that
students and engagement and for students bond.
teachers as co- achievement (Pringle and continually
creators of their et al., 2010). challenging them Connect family
expectations, (Kleinfeld, 1975). and community
accountability norms, assets and funds of
pedagogy, and knowledge to the
curriculum (Ladson- classroom (Moll
Billings, 2009). et al., 1992).

Use a why, what, Rigor—simplicity Building trusting, Partnering with
and how approach through complexity— caring relationships families and
to a student- must be used, is the foundation communities makes
centered classroom with an emphasis for learning with learning more
(McCarthy, 2015). on scaffolding to one another (Milner, culturally responsive
meet the students 2010). (Gay, 2010).
where they are Partnering with
and continually families and
challenging them communities fulfills
(Paige et al., 2015). needs that nurture
learning.
Academic and social- Maintaining a
emotional supports psychologically
are required to ensure safe space is
that all students a fundamental
have all they need to requirement for
succeed. learning (Wanless,
2016).

Foster critical
hope toward what
is possible with a
critical eye, standing
in solidarity with
students (Duncan-
Andrade, 2009).

Providing students
with a strong sense
of belonging in the
classroom nurtures
learning.

130   “These Kids Are Out of Control”

REFLECTING ON THE CHAPTER . . .

1. What are some ways educators might begin to lean toward more student-
centered practices? What challenges might they face in doing so?

2. What steps might educators take to ensure that they have and are consistently
communicating and enacting practices that demonstrate high expectations for all
of their students?

3. Which persistent practices might be the most challenging to consistently enact? What
barriers might educators encounter, and what solutions might they implement?

4. How might educators assess the quality of their interactions and relationships
with families?

5. How might educators connect with families’ funds of knowledge to enrich student
experiences? What might get in the way?

6. Think about a challenging event that happened, and critically reflect on it.
Consider how the ideas in this book might provide a new approach in that
scenario.

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5 CLASSROOM
MANAGEMENT
IS ABOUT RESTORATIVE
DISCIPLINE

Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where
ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel
that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob, and
degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe.

—Frederick Douglass, Social Reformer,
Abolitionist, Statesman

If we desire a society of peace, then we cannot achieve such
a society through violence. If we desire a society without
discrimination, then we must not discriminate against anyone
in the process of building this society. If we desire a society that
is democratic, then democracy must become a means as well
as an end.

—Bayard Rustin, Civil Rights Leader

Classroom management in is about restorative discipline. By restorative
discipline, we mean a disposition, a mindset, and an approach to disci-
pline that builds upon the foundational idea that schools are places where
students are expected to make errors and learn from them. These errors
may be both in the learning of content and in learning how to be a good
member of the school community. Instead of removing and excluding stu-
dents from their educational setting as punishment, a restorative discipline
approach supports students coming to terms with how their actions may
have affected others, taking responsibility for these actions, and continu-
ing to learn and grow. Moreover, a restorative discipline approach allows
teachers and other educators to learn and grow from conflicts, whereas more
traditional approaches focus almost all of the “correction” on students
(Milner, 2014).

Our insistence on the use of restorative discipline as a means of addressing
student behavior is deeply rooted in our belief that restorative discipline strate-
gies are the ones most likely to lead us to justice and equity for all children in

133

134   “These Kids Are Out of Control”

U.S. schools. In particular, they may provide a means of disrupting and ending
years of discriminatory practices that have adversely affected children in urban
schools. Recall that in Chapter 1, we discuss a number of justice-centered
issues that are at the heart of classroom management in urban schools. These
issues have persisted even though clear evidence points to their harmful conse-
quences for our children. These issues include disproportionate office referrals
of students of color, those with learning differences, and those who live below
the poverty line (Girvan, Gion, McIntosh, & Smolkowski, 2017; Skiba et al.,
2011) and the disproportionate suspension and expulsion of these students
(U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, 2016). Restorative
discipline appears to be the best way forward to address both of these deeply
troubling issues by reconceptualizing educator responses to problematic stu-
dent behavior. When problematic student behavior is addressed through a lens
of restorative discipline, students have the opportunity to take responsibility
for their actions without leaving the classroom and school community. This
makes it more likely that students will continue to engage in learning oppor-
tunities and less likely that these students will begin the troubling pattern
of detentions, suspensions, and expulsions that lead many children into the
cradle-to-prison pipeline.

Restorative discipline involves a set of both formal and informal strategies
intended to meet five goals (Advancement Project, 2014):

1. build positive relationships,

2. reduce and prevent harmful behavior,

3. resolve conflict and hold people accountable,

4. repair harm, and

5. address and discuss the needs of the school community

Ideally an entire school uses a restorative discipline plan and approach, as
school administrators typically attend to the most troubling student behav-
iors, not teachers. By adopting a whole-school restorative discipline approach,
educators can develop a schoolwide ethos that reduces conflict and preserves
the dignity of individuals. Also, using this approach schoolwide helps stu-
dents truly understand the goals of restorative discipline and benefit from its
effects in a lasting way throughout the context of their educational experi-
ences. However, even if an entire school does not use a restorative discipline
approach, there are still methods teachers can use to build their knowledge,
skills, attitudes, mindsets, and practices of restorative discipline within the
bounds of their classroom.

Restorative discipline in schools can be viewed through a pyramid
(see Figure 5.1). At the foundation of the pyramid is the use of affective lan-
guage. These foundational interactions can be used in an ongoing and seamless

Chapter 5  •  Classroom Management Is About Restorative Discipline    135

FIGURE 5.1  ■  Three Methods to Support Restorative Discipline

Conferences

Circle Processes

Affective Language

way in classrooms and school environments to serve as a constant reminder
to students that they are part of a community at school. In the middle of the
pyramid are circle processes, which can be used either proactively or reactively
to strengthen relationships, discuss issues that affect school community mem-
bers, or resolve interpersonal conflicts. At the top of the pyramid are confer-
ences. Conferences can be used as a tool when relationships have been broken
and are in need of rebuilding or when a student is exhibiting signs of personal
crisis and may need support. Use of these methods in pre-K–12 classrooms
can afford growth, learning, and rebuilding, both for the students who benefit
from this classroom management approach and for the educators who imple-
ment this approach.

In this chapter, we discuss methods used at all three levels of the pyramid:
affective language, circle processes, and conferences. Both classroom teachers
and school leaders can use these methods to promote restorative discipline in
school settings. It is important to note that we are suggesting that building
these practices requires educators (both in individual classrooms and collec-
tively) to develop the mindset, beliefs, attitudes, and dispositions necessary
to practice justice.

Prior to discussing these three methods, we provide a brief background
framing of the restorative discipline approach and describe why restorative
discipline is a promising pathway forward to approach school discipline.

RESTORATIVE DISCIPLINE IS
ROOTED IN RESTORATIVE JUSTICE

Restorative discipline is an approach to school discipline that is rooted in the
concept of restorative justice (Amstutz & Mullet, 2005). Restorative justice
is a conflict resolution philosophy that informs practice, and it emphasizes
allowing people to come to terms with and remedy harm that they have

136   “These Kids Are Out of Control”

caused to others (Wachtel, 2016). Restorative justice also stresses giving
those who have been harmed a voice in how to make things right again.
Although a restorative justice approach to conflict resolution can be found
within the religious and cultural traditions of many groups of people, its
modern roots include projects of the Mennonites in the 1970s (Zehr, 2015b)
and practices used in the New Zealand youth justice system in the late
1980s (Morrison, 2007; Wachtel, 2016). Although originally used to rem-
edy offenses such as burglary and other property crimes, restorative justice
measures are used today internationally within criminal justice systems to
address offenses as grave as death from drunk driving, assault, rape, and
murder (Zehr, 2015b). The two most commonly known methods of restor-
ative justice include conferencing and circle processes. Whereas the Western
legal tradition typically concerns itself with questions of which law or rule
was broken, who broke it, and what the offender deserves as a punishment, a
restorative justice approach focuses on the following questions (Zehr, 2015a,
p. 254):

• Who has been hurt in this situation?

• What are their needs?

• Whose obligations are these needs?

• What are the causes of this situation?

• Who has a stake in this situation?

• What is the appropriate process to involve stakeholders in
an effort to address causes and put things right for everyone
involved?

This approach to conflict resolution is well aligned with the concept of
public education, as it moves students whose behavior harms themselves or
others toward the support structures that can help them make better future
choices instead of excluding them and pushing them away (Schiff, 2013).

Restorative Discipline: A Restorative
Justice Approach to Discipline in Schools

Restorative discipline is a restorative justice approach to discipline in schools.
An alternative to the punitive discipline system that removes students
from a classroom and/or school community, restorative discipline is a
relationship-oriented approach to managing behavior in schools (Morrison,
2007). Punitive discipline systems typically center upon the use of school-
developed or teacher-developed rules that govern student behavior, and
preestablished consequences (such as detention or suspension) are applied
when a student breaks a school or classroom rule. As these consequences are
applied, students are pushed away from the school community and toward the

Chapter 5  •  Classroom Management Is About Restorative Discipline    137

TABLE 5.1  ■  Punitive Versus Restorative Approach to Discipline

Punitive Approach Restorative Approach
School rules are violated.
People and relationships are
Justice focuses on establishing violated.
guilt.
Accountability is defined as Justice identifies needs and
punishment. obligations.

Justice is directed at the offender; Accountability is defined as
those harmed are ignored. understanding the effects of the
offense and repairing any harm.
Rules and intent outweigh the
outcome. The student who may have caused
harm, those harmed, and school
No opportunity is offered for the staff all have direct roles in the
offender to express remorse or justice process.
make amends.
Students who may have caused
harm are held responsible for
their behavior, repairing any harm
they’ve caused and working toward
a positive outcome.

Opportunities are offered for
offenders to express remorse or
make amends.

Source: Adapted from San Francisco Unified School District (n.d.).

cradle-to-prison pipeline. Restorative discipline, on the other hand, stresses
that students are members of a school community and that their actions affect
other community members (see Table 5.1). When students engage in behavior
that causes personal harm or harm to other members of the school commu-
nity, the goal is to keep them as engaged as possible in school and classroom
life and encourage them to self-correct (Davidson, 2014). When students do
not self-correct on their own, restorative discipline seeks to give students the
opportunity to accept responsibility for harms they have caused, endeavor to
make things right to the extent possible, and return to the school community
as members in good standing. These inclusive and supportive steps keep stu-
dents away from the cradle-to-prison pipeline.

Restorative discipline is becoming a more common approach to solving
disciplinary problems in U.S. schools. Although the concept is relatively new
among schools in the United States, some schools in Australia, New Zealand,
and Great Britain have been using discipline systems based upon the restorative
discipline approach since the early 1990s (González, 2012). Restorative mea-
sures provide dignity and a sense of agency to students who traditionally must
follow policies crafted exclusively by adults. They also offer a chance to address
race and class disparities created by punitive discipline measures and function
as strategies that may reduce repeat disciplinary infractions (Schiff, 2013). In